Walmart Rewards™ MasterCard® is a store card offered by the retail giant based in America. The program is designed to allow users to shop on credit and get rewards in selected stores.

Overview

The Walmart Rewards™ MasterCard® is partly a store-branded card. It can be used at Walmart outlets in Canada, Sam’s Club stores, Walmart fuel stations, Murphy USA gas stations (but not at Murphy Express), and the official retail websites of the Walmart company.

Do not confuse the MasterCard with the Walmart credit card. The latter is mainly offered in the United States for low-income shoppers to have easy access to credit. The former can be used in Canada, basically anywhere MasterCard is conventionally accepted. The company offers the biggest discounts when used in Walmart and related stores.

This credit card is part of Walmart’s 3-2-1 program. This plan allows cardholders to earn various cash back and discount offers when they use the card frequently to make purchases. The rewards card generates a 3 percent discount on purchases made on Walmart.ca and the company’s smartphone app. Cardholders can get a 2 percent discount on fuel bills incurred at the selected gas stations mentioned above.

Cardholders get 1 percent back on all other purchases made at either the company’s stores or where MasterCard is accepted. The company mainly refers to non-fuel purchases as “other” purchases. People who are approved for either card are immediately enrolled in the rewards program. No additional signup is necessary.

It’s important to note that Walmart rewards are earned in dollars and not points. Upon signing up, cardholders can get $25 as bonus. $15 of this is offered just for getting the card and using it once at an approved store. Walmart offers customers the option to go “paperless.” It’s an option to agree to receive monthly statements electronically. Cardholders who go paperless receive $10 as bonus.

Cardholders who shop at Walmart outlets in Canada get up to 1.25 percent in bonuses. For example, if a cardholder spends $400 at Walmart stores and $600 at MasterCard stores in Canada one month, the rewards that can be redeemed at the end of the month will be $132. Customers can view rewards per month and redeem it all at the end of the year.

Rewards for the cards are issued on a monthly basis. Cardholders will get their reward with the monthly credit card statement report. Rewards are technically offered on an unlimited basis. However, how much a cardholder can earn back will depend on the limit imposed on the card. Rewards do not expire either.

It’s relatively easy to redeem rewards right at the cash register in any Walmart outlet in Canada. Customers are eligible to redeem bonuses after earning a minimum of $5. The rest of the redemption will be in $5 increments. Redemption can go on forever because the Walmart rewards credit card has no expiration date.

Cardholders can only earn rewards for making purchases online. Cash advances (including quick cash advances), interest charges, purchases made using account opening discounts, and purchases made based on special fees and financing are not eligible to earn rewards points.

In order to be eligible, applicants must have a bank account open that is in good financial standing. Applicants need a checking account of sorts, as Walmart Community and Business accounts are not eligible for the program. The program is currently available to residents of Canada except in Quebec.

There are a number of additional perks associated with the Walmart Rewards™ MasterCard®. Cardholders can request additional cards for family members completely for free. The card also comes with the Tap & Go functionality. Cardholders can simply tap the card at checkout to pay the bill fast. Those who register for an account can manage it online without being inconvenienced. This card can also be used at 26 million locations in 210 countries to obtain cash advances.

If credit cards are not accepted at a location, this program offers personalized convenience cheques to use. These have to be ordered separately by calling 1-888-331-6133. Cardholders can also schedule automatic payments for recurring bills, like the phone bill.

The card also comes with a Balance Protection Plan and an Extended Warranty Plan. Balance protection can cover payments if a cardholder is unable to repay on time. This plan comes with an optional insurance policy for 5 percent of the account balance. For example, if the cardholder gets in an accident or is laid off and no longer has a steady source of income, balance protection can kick in to help.

The extended warranty plan is optional, but it will double the warranty on the card for an extra two years, totally a 7-year warranty period. Cardholders can get the extended warranty for $3.99 per month, before taxes.

If a cardholder uses this card at overseas locations where MasterCard is accepted, standard foreign transaction fees will apply.

Pros and Cons

The Walmart MasterCard rewards program comes with many benefits. Here’s a list:

It’s well suited for low-income households that might be rejected by other MasterCard plans.

Automatic participation in a rewards program that offers bonuses in dollar values. It’s easy to calculate redemption points in this manner.

Extra perks that come with the card like balance protection in case of an emergency.

Get cash advances everywhere in the world.

Rewards do not expire. Neither does the card.

Sign up relatives and get them cards for free.

On the downside, here are several potential issues with the program:

High APR that some cardholders might find too much. The standard APR for the card is 25.99%.

Comparison to Other Canadian Credit Cards Competitors

The Walmart Rewards™ MasterCard® is mostly similar to Hudson’s Bay credit cards. Like the HBC card, this one is best suited for people who already shop frequently at Walmart and related stores. While shopping options are available everywhere MasterCard is accepted, rewards options are not.

Unlike most Canadian credit cards, the Walmart card offers rewards points in dollar values rather than as points that are hard to calculate.

Compared to Canada’s most popular rewards credit card, the Tangerine card, the Walmart card has fewer shopping options. The Tangerine card allows user to get rewards points each month, while this card only allows it at the end of the month.